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User blog:YT: General Masher/Smooka Guide for newbies
Introduction Hey guys, my name is Gmasher! This is my strategy guide about smooka. Smooka is one of the most used attack strategies in operations (particularly the high level operations like Dead End and Massive Attack). This strategy also works really well against Gearheart as well as PvP bases with boosted building health statues. That said, I'm going to go over the basic things needed before attacking a boosted health base aimlessly. What troops are required? Zooka Zookas are the core troops of this strategy. Without them, its not even a zooka composition. The zookas deal massive damage to their targets making them perfect for boosted health bases. I also recommend boosting any troop damage statues you might have so the zookas destroy their targets faster. Their range is also good as they will be able to outrange them. Their landing craft capacity is good so the more zookas there are, the more damage will be done. The issues with zookas are low health, which means they can be 1-2 shot killed by almost any (if not all) defence in the game. Their poor movement speed also doesn't help so upgrade your smoke screens so those will last longer giving the zookas more time to stay safe. Heavy (not mandetory) Bringing some heavies with the zookas won't hurt as they are great shields for the zookas. If they are in the correct position, they can save some gbe for more shock bombs against the splash damage defenses that will reach the zookas. The issues are they don't do much damage, but other than that they are solid overall. Some people prefer to substitute heavies for more zookas and some critters which is also fine. Scorcher (alternative; not mandatory) Like the heavies, the scorchers are also excellent at shielding their allies. Even better, they have a LOT more health than the heavies. Whenever there are advantages, there are disadvantages. They also lack the damage needed like the heavies. They also cost a lot of gbe just to deploy them. If you boost your gbe statues, smokey scooka will be a lot easier than un-boosted. What troop loadouts do you recommend? All zookas is self explanatory, you literally have all zookas. For smokey hooka/scooka, it's a different story as you have an extra troop type added in. What defenses pose a huge threat to this strategy? Shock Launchers: Please shock the shock launchers 1st. On boosted damage bases, those deal enough damage to even 1 shot kill zookas (if that isn't the case, the zookas will get hit by another shock launcher which will kill them). Shock launchers do very well against almost every troop composition. If you have to, bart the shock launchers so more energy is saved for the next attacker (only for operations). Shock launchers have an intense splash radius, 6.2 tiles in fact! If you deal with those first, you will be rewarded greatly. Mortars: If you thought rocket launchers go after shock launchers, its very likely that you overlooked the mortars. The reason mortars are a bigger threat than rocket launchers is because once a shell is launched, medkits cant stop those. After shocking the shock launchers, shock the mortars that are within range. The splash radius isn't as bad as the shock launcher, but that doesn't mean you should ignore it. When you're a low level smooka user, its very unlikely that a shock launcher will show up on a PvP base as you will most likely get player with hq levels 14-16. If that is the case, shock those 1st. Rocket Launchers: I do understand the fact that rocket launchers are very annoying, but not as bad as the mortars and shock launchers. King Dragonhoff in his HZM guide stated that rocket launchers are overestimated, I find that statement true. He also stated that medkits can save the zookas in his HZM guide, that is also true. If you run out of gbe needed for more shock bombs, place a medkit on the zookas and it could save them from a salvo. If you still have enough energy for more shock bombs, definitely shock the rocket launchers or throw critters where the rocket could hit the critters. Laser Beams: Do not overlook laser beams! These can kill zookas in its path even if heavies or a scorcher is in front of it. The laser beams are sweeping splash damage defenses, meaning that anyone behind it's target will also get hit (eg zookas in hooka, medics in rifle-med). The laser beam also has enough damage needed to 1 shot kill a zooka (unless a boosted troop health masterpiece miraculously saves them). Please watch out for laser beams as well. Flamethrowers: You might be laughing because zookas out-range flamethrowers and heavies and scorchers have enough health to bring one down. But still even if one zooka can be hit my the flamethrower, it can decimate any zookas behind her. Just make sure the flamethrowers cant reach the zookas, but if that is the case shock those defenses next. Machine Guns I see those as slightly worse flamethrowers. Although these fire fast and can do enough damage to kill (or injure) a zooka, the accuracy on those are horrendous! The range is better than the flamethrowers, but the zookas should still not get hit by those. If that is the case, shock those last. Mines: Mines deal decent damage, but because of it's splash radius it goes in next. If you are using all zookas, use artillery, barrages and/or critters to sweep any mines i the path you want to go. If You're using hooka/scooka, let the shield sweep the mines. Depending on what your composition is depends if mines are a threat or not. Other Defenses: The other defenses are single target, meaning that out of your 96 zookas, only one of them gets killed. If those do somewhat bother you, shooting critters at the single target defenses will solve the problem. Overall the other defenses are just bad against smooka don't pay too much attention to those. How do you attack with smooka? This depends on how you want to execute the strategy. There are two types: a suicide attack and a cautious attack. Either way, you will need to boost your offensive statues because even one slight mistake can ruin your plan. Smooka is hard to use, so before going in its best you ask for a friendly challenge and practice on their base. That said, here are the steps: 1. Plan you're route to the hq. 2. Clear any mines on your planed path (if using hooka/scooka, skip this step). 3. Drop a flare at the corner of a drop zone (that way, the zookas gather into their ball more easily) 4. One by one, drop a landing craft of zookas from the opposite side of where you dropped your flare (landing crafts with zookas if using hooka/scooka). 5. Drop a flare at your area which the zookas will hit the hq/power core. 5.5. Drop your boat of heavies/scorcher after dropping the flare at the area (if using az, skip this step). 6. Drop smoke screens where the zookas could get hit by defenses 7. Once you get to the hq/power core, shock any defenses that could hit the zookas in this order: shock launcher, mortar, rocket launcher, laser beam, flamethrower, machine gun. 7.5. If using the suicide attack strategy, flare the zookas at the hq/power core before doing step 7. 8. Deploy critters if you run out of energy needed for shock bombs (if using hooka/scooka and the shield is in the correct position, shock the defenses behind the zookas). 9. Place a medkit on the zookas if you don't have enough energy for more shock bombs or critters). If done correctly, you should have beat the boosted health base. Conclusion Smooka at first is hard to get used to and hard to handle but if done correctly, it is a rewarding troop composition. I would recommend this for players who are going for the leaderboards (either player leaderboards or task force leaderboards). You need at least a hq level 14 for this strategy, otherwise keep upgrading your offensive buildings. I would also recommend high level offensive requirements (sculptor, zookas, smoke screens, ect). I hope this guide was somewhat helpful! If you have any questions regarding this strategy, post those in the comment section below and I will reply to those as soon as I can! Category:Blog posts Category:Attack Strategy Guides